Now, I don't recommend kids as a cure very often, because they are a remedy that comes with a long-term commitment not everyone is willing or able to make, however ...

In the last few years before my child arrived I was becoming a little bored with Christmas. I admit it.

But now that my toddler is actively enjoying Christmas and the related Santa hoopla, I enjoy it. I love watching another person open presents with unbridled joy and watching my kid run around the house yelling and playing with our nephews on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's fun being together with the extended family, having a nice dinner, laughing.

I love the fact that the build-up is important, too -- decorating the tree, putting up the lights, talking about Santa and his helpers.

There was, for the first time in a long time, some serious anticipation of Christmas at my house. And it felt good.

It especially felt good because my child isn't a gift junkie. We work hard to try and ensure that the gifts are reasonable -- although it's not always easy convincing others to buy the same way -- and that junior won't become greedy.

The result is that for now, the tiniest gift is as beloved as the biggest. I hope to keep that spirit going for as long as possible. But at some point TV, in-store marketing and peer pressure may prove too forceful a tide to stem. I already see it creeping in, so we're ever more vigilant.

And, I think, everyone at my house had just about the best Christmas in years.

So, while I won't tell you that having a kid is the cure for your holiday blahs, I can assure you, it was a miracle elixir for me.